With Ibrahima Konate dealing with doubts over his future alongside together with his health, Joe Gomez may very well be reunited with Virgil van Dijk as Liverpool’s centre-back partnership.
Konate may very well be set to overlook Sunday’s return to motion towards Man United having picked up a quad harm final day trip which thwarted his involvement for France.
With Giovanni Leoni dominated out with a season-ending ACL tear, it may see Arne Slot flip to Gomez alongside Van Dijk for the 4.30pm kickoff.
Given Konate’s shaky type of late and the looming uncertainty over his contract, there have already been requires Gomez – who has rested over the worldwide break – to exchange him as an everyday starter.
That begs the query: which of the 2 has a greater file alongside the Liverpool captain?
We’ve got crunched the numbers primarily based on appearances of 45 minutes or extra subsequent to Van Dijk at centre-back – in different phrases, not together with Gomez’s many outings at right-back, left-back and even as a No. 6.
Joe Gomez – 69.7% win fee
Performed: 66Won: 46Drawn: 6Lost: 14 (21.2%)
PPG: 2.18
Ibrahima Konate – 68.8% win fee
Performed: 106Won: 73Drawn: 16Lost: 17 (16%)
PPG: 2.22
Who’s Van Dijk’s greatest accomplice?
In fact, there’s little to separate Gomez and Konate when it comes to the numbers.
Whereas Gomez’s win fee alongside Van Dijk is superior, Konate has performed 40 extra video games because the Dutchman’s accomplice they usually common extra factors per recreation collectively.
There was a rising rhetoric that Gomez is changing into extra of a legal responsibility when used at centre-back, with a poor efficiency subsequent to Leoni within the Carabao Cup victory over Southampton used for example.
However he’s unbeaten in seven video games as Van Dijk’s centre-back accomplice since their most up-to-date loss – which was the 5-2 thrashing by the hands of Actual Madrid within the Champions League in February 2023.
That seven-game run included the 2-0 win over Man Metropolis at Anfield which noticed Gomez fill in for the injured Konate flawlessly.
Nonetheless it’s no fluke that each Jurgen Klopp and now Slot have caught with Konate as Van Dijk’s first-choice accomplice – he has proved very dependable when it comes to kind, health and his understanding with the No. 4.
Neither match as much as Van Dijk’s all-time greatest centre-back accomplice, after all: Joel Matip boasts a better win fee (70.6%) and points-per-game common (2.29) in addition to a considerably decrease loss fee (12%).
Regardless of the narrative round Konate at current, mixed with the lack of Leoni, Liverpool may be thought of lucky to have such confirmed energy at centre-back.
If Gomez is required to fill in for the Frenchman, there must be no concern – and it may even be that he earns an prolonged run within the facet.
